Probate

Philadelphia Probate Lawyer

Helping Clients Through the Probate Process 

Probate is the process through which the estate of the deceased must pass before it can be distributed to their beneficiaries according to either the terms of their last will and testament or Pennsylvania intestate laws. During the probate process, the estate will be scrutinized, analyzed, and possibly even taxed before being passed on, which could be a lengthy and frustrating process for executors, administrators, beneficiaries and heirs.

At Chestnut Hill Legal, our probate lawyer understands your goal is to set up your estate in a way that avoids probate. We’re determined to help you achieve this by assisting you in the creation of a high-quality, specific plan to arrange your assets. Our Philadelphia probate attorney offers high-quality strategies that utilize a variety of different estate planning tools. These tools include wills, trusts, and other documentation making your final wishes legally binding.

Questions about probate law? Contact our probate attorney in Philadelphia, PA at (215) 631-8432 for assistance today!

How Can I Avoid Probate in Philadelphia?

If you own anything individually when you pass away, your assets will go through the probate process. However, ownership isn’t necessarily a simple matter. Careful planning can change how ownership of particular assets is determined, and thus help you avoid probate entirely.

Probate may not be necessary if all of your assets are:

Jointly-held: If all someone owns at the time of their passing is a home and a bank account which were both jointly-held with a spouse, both of these assets pass to the surviving spouse without going through probate.

Passed into an irrevocable living trust: Irrevocable trusts are not controlled by the trustor, meaning they don’t actually legally possess them, thus they’re excluded in terms of probate.

Placed into a revocable trust-centered plan: As long as all individually-held assets were transferred into the trust during the trustor’s life, the decedent doesn’t technically own anything upon their death, and thus probate isn’t necessary.

Determining the best way to protect your assets from the probate process is something you should only undertake with the assistance of a qualified and knowledgeable attorney and, if the decedent lived in Philadelphia, probate lawyers in Philadelphia, PA. The estate administration process is not rocket science, but it isn't usually clear what you should do when, which could expose you to personal liability should something be done out of order that deprives a creditor or beneficiary of something they would otherwise have received.

Louis P. DiLello, Esq., an estate administration attorney in Philadelphia, will take you through the process step-by-step to better ensure that it goes smoothly, and to protect you from personal liability so that you can rest easy and move on with your life.

What is the Difference Between a Probate Lawyer and an Estate Lawyer?

While there is overlap between probate and estate law, there are key differences that separate them. Probate law deals with a person's assets once they have passed away, estate law deals with the designating of a living person's assets for when they eventually pass away. A probate attorney. also called an estate administration attorney, can help you navigate the process if your loved one has passed away, whereas an estate planning lawyer will help a person determine the plan of action for their assets after they are deceased.

When looking for a probate lawyer near me, think Chestnut Hill Legal, a probate and estate administration law firm in Philadelphia, PA

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